The present disclosure relates to seams or joints for connecting pieces of material that can be used in apparel, footwear and the like. In an exemplary application, the present disclosure relates to the construction of uppers for shoes. Shoe uppers are typically fabricated from a plurality of different materials in order to provide different performance characteristics at different locations on the shoe. For example, it might be desirable for the shoe to be breathable near the toes to allow escape of perspiration, but more rigid at the heel to keep the shoe attached to the foot during use. Thus, a shoe might incorporate a fabric mesh panel near the toe cap and a reinforced polymer panel near the heel cap. Other materials used in footwear may be relatively flexible and tough such as those used near the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint between the metatarsal bones of the foot and the proximal phalanges of the toes where repeated bending occurs. Thus, a shoe might incorporate a panel made of leather, vinyl or the like at the vamp.
In order to accommodate the different sizes, shapes and materials used in the panels of shoe uppers, a variety of seaming and joining methods are typically used. Lap joints and butt joints have conventionally been used, as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,235,694 to Wolfhard et al. More recently, footwear has incorporated smooth seams, such as those using thermoplastic seam tape as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,544,191 to Marvin et al., or seamless joints, such as those using a knitting process including forming an upper by interconnecting a series of stitches or loops as is described in U.S. Pub. No. 2012/0255201 to Little. Additionally, other uppers have been made from a unitary textile material having different stitching or weaving portions to induce different performance characteristics or different aesthetic qualities at different portions of the upper, as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,347,011 to Dua et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,537,939 to Horton describes an edge embroidery process. U.S. Pat. Application Pub. No. 2015/0157084 to Bell et al. describes generally that embroidery stitches can be used in footwear. U.S. Pat. No. 6,237,174 to Hutchinson describes embroidery on a slipper.